About this Product

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but during World War I, newspaper illustrations were worth even more, not only conveying the news to anxious families at home and soldiers in battle, but also entertaining and lifting the spirits of a nation at war. This thematic collection of 250 World War I illustrations taken from the archives of the Illustrated London News, including light-hearted strip cartoons and line drawings, poignant sketches and hard-hitting political satire, by both well-known illustrators and the men in the trenches these illustrate the mood and humour of a nation at war. Many of the illustrations included are published for the first time in 90 years, and together they are a unique, bittersweet portrayal of the Great War.

Biographical Note

Lucinda Gosling read History at Liverpool University and has worked in the picture library industry since 1993. She was the manager of The Illustrated London News Archive for many years, and now works at Mary Evans Picture Library. She regularly contributes articles on art and history for publications as diverse as Majesty and Illustration. Lucinda lives in London with her husband and two sons.

Contents

Dedication Acknowledgements An Illustrators' War - Introduction ‘Over by Christmas' - The Outbreak of War ‘Who's for the Trench, are You, My Laddie?' - Enlistment, Recruitment and Training Frightfulness - Drawing the Enemy From Plug Street to Regent Street - Life in the Trenches Business as Usual - The Home Front The Blue Pencil - Reporting and Censorship Carrying On - Women and War Back to Blighty - Soldiers on Leave Shoulder to Shoulder - Allies Venus and Mars - Love and Marriage in Wartime Up, Up and Away - Land, Sea and Air ‘The Day' - Victory and Peace Glossary of Illustrators Index